The present invention generally relates to a dressing which may be applied at an intravenous catheter site of a patient as well as a method for applying the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dressing which may have a window or transparent film within the dressing. While the dressing may have an adhesive layer, no adhesive is present on the window. As a result, the dressing applied to the site may be removed without adhesion of the window to the patient and/or a catheter.
It is, of course, generally known to use dressings for the treatment and/or covering of wounds and intravenous catheter sites. Wound dressings that adhere to human skin by pressure-sensitive adhesive have been known for many years. Such dressings are generally in the form of a sheet of film, foam, fabric or combination thereof. Known sheets have a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer for adhering the dressing to skin adjacent to the wound to secure the dressing in place. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer may be configured to adhere to the skin surrounding the wound or to portions of skin surrounding the wound. In many dressings, the adhesive layer is substantially coextensive with the dressing and thus extends over the wound itself. In such dressings, the adhesives are intended to adhere to healthy skin outside the wound but not to the wound itself. The adhesives do not adhere to the wound itself due to the inherent moisture of wounds.
Likewise, dressings which cover catheters are generally known. The catheter may be inserted at a site on the patient and the site may be covered by the dressing. A window, or transparent film, may be provided within the dressing. The window may have an adhesive layer which may adhere to the patient. As a result, a caregiver may encounter difficulty in removing the dressing when the dressing must be replaced. In addition, known dressings may be rigid and may not conform to a shape of a catheter. As a result, an opening may be created between the dressing and an area being treated. The opening may allow contaminants to enter the area.
A need, therefore, exists for a dressing for an intravenous catheter site and a method for applying the same which may be flexible and may have an adhesive-free window to enable removal of the dressing from the catheter site without inadvertent adhesion to the patient and/or the catheter.